The Media Federation of Australia (MFA) is launching MFA Media For All, an industry-wide diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) strategy.
The plan is set out over three years with the aim of improving all aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion in the media agency industry.
Through a virtual event, hosted by SBS Australia presenter and comedian Michael Hing and members of the MFA DE&I Advisory Council, the MFA Media For All strategy aims to create a media agency industry where everyone can thrive, feel heard, supported and safe to do their best work.
During the event, the lived experiences of people working in our industry will be shared as part of the strategy to build awareness through storytelling.
The three-year plan involves:
• Year 1, 2022: Increasing industry awareness, education and engagement on why diversity, equity and inclusion are important and how we can contribute as individuals, businesses and as an industry.
• Year 2, 2023: Focus on attracting more diverse talent into the industry and developing talent pipelines, sharing resources and exploring partnerships.
• Year 3, 2024: To start to see real change in the industry measurement and metrics, aligning to Australian culture.
Sophie Madden
As part of the first year goal of industry education, the MFA has partnered with SBS to provide free access for all MFA member agency employees to Australia’s leading online DE&I training course, SBS Core Inclusion, which has been designed to help companies embrace diversity and promote safe and happy workplaces.
The MFA’s goal is for 70% of all member agency employees to complete the SBS Core Inclusion course by the end of 2022.
In addition, the MFA will continue to measure the diversity, equity and inclusion in the industry through the annual MFA DE&I Survey, conducted since 2020. Survey data will be used to benchmarks and track each agency’s and the industry’s ongoing progress against set goals, and to identify areas for improvement.
MFA CEO Sophie Madden said: “The MFA is committed to building a diverse, equitable and inclusive industry. While we perform well in certain areas, with women holding 43% of all management roles in Australian media agencies, and with 43% of media agency employees describing their cultural background as non-Australian, there is room for improvement to ensure we are more closely aligned with the Australian population, to achieve greater inclusion and to ensure workplaces are safe for all.
“Through the MFA Media For All strategy, we are inviting everyone to play an active role in this movement – it is the responsibility of all of us to drive this change through every aspect of what we do: our people and culture, our supply chain and the communications we produce,” she added.
Initiative Melbourne client partner and MFA DE&I council chair Wayne Philbert said: “We’ve already seen changes and improvements since the first DE&I survey in 2020, but we also know that it takes time to see a real shift in the dial.
“By setting out a clear three-year strategy and providing educational resources and other tools to our members, we expect to see real progress industry-wide,” he added.
Wayne Philbert